To Do List Gets Back to BAC – September Cook Up Season
September Cook Up @ Battersea Arts Centre
After all the Jubilympic fun (and after the To Do List holidays), September is back-to-school time for us all – in a good way! See, over the summer, it’s been too easy to be distracted by (occasional) sunshine, pageantry, national pride and men and women throwing things/fighting/rowing/diving etc.. But now that the days are getting shorter, and Autumn looms on the horizon, To Do List is genuinely excited to get back to what we really love – sitting in darkened rooms with strangers, watching strangers do strange things. Hurrah, for THEATRE & PERFORMANCE LIVES!
And so, to the September Cook Up Season at one of our favourite performing arts venues, Battersea Arts Centre. BAC have got a great programme of events running from August 31st to September 23rd – we’ve picked out our highlights, and also check out the bottom of this article for a list of Scratch performances which are great value (Pay What You Can) and a great way to see how performances develop and evolve into the final product.
To Do List Highlights
Brand New Ancients | 04 – 22 September | 8pm | £12, £8 concs
We Say: Top of the menu for September is Kate Tempest‘s Brand New Ancients. Kate is a performance poet and rapper, and has been described as ‘annoyingly good’ by Scroobius Pip. Here, Kate gives a spoken word performance which tells the story of two South London families, as they discover the very real truths of life, love and loss.
They Say:
The gods are in the betting shops, the gods are in the café, the gods are watching telly in their flats…the gods are at the doctors, getting something for the stress, the gods are in the toilets having unprotected sex… Against the dark city backdrop, the lives of two families unfold as ancient myth seeps into modern times. The Gods of today are in the background, just waiting to for their moment to emerge.
Only Wolves And Lions | 06 – 08 September | 7pm | £15
We Say: We’ve had mixed experiences of the food-performance combination in the past, but we’re willing to give this one a go – a dinner with a difference is promised. Carbs and condiments will be provided, but a ticket alone will not guarantee you entry: never mind ‘bring a bottle’, here you must bring a bag of onions, or a huge lump of cheddar, or a few aubergines – whatever takes your fancy really, just something to contribute to the meal. And no ready-to-eat quiche, or pots of hummus – ingredients should be raw. (A veggie friendly option will be prepared each night.)
They Say:
Mixing cooking, performance and a good chat, Only Wolves and Lions takes a fresh look at human behaviour in the pursuit of happiness. Enjoy a full evening of food, theatre and discussion with Leo Kay and Unai Lopez de Armentia, in an interactive show that celebrates sharing, community and what it means to be human.
Puffball | 13-15 September | 7.30pm | £10 , £8 concs
We Say: An intimate show which sifts through the remnants of an epic fight between body and mind, human and animal. We’ll admit, we love owls (we have a rather large one at To Do List HQ, courtesy of Retro Pigeon), so we couldn’t miss this. And we also yearn for the days of Microsoft Paint, so this couldn’t be any more perfect!
They Say:
Puffball is an owl…Puffball is unwell…Puffball must fly. A true story of recovery as told by a man with big hair. Puffball examines the nuts and bolts of human empathy, incorporating the cathartic magic of Microsoft Paint.
Still Night | 20 & 21 September | 7pm | £10, £8 concs
We Say: Still-Night is a show inspired by Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities, casting London as its main actor. Still Night promises a re-invention of the city, giving London a new fantastical dimension – so if you think you know London, have seen it all, this should open your eyes to a new way of thinking about our capital.
They Say:
A lecture on the city, performed in nonsense language, mixing real events and places with imagined and mythical perspectives. Out of the lecture, another world of darkness and poetry emerges, as the walls of the room we are in begin to disappear.
John Cage – Indeterminacy | 23 September | 7pm | £10, £8 concs
We Say: A collection of 90 one-minute stories, John Cage’s Indeterminacy was originally recorded in 1959, and the man himself read the stories aloud. Tonight, it’s the turn of Stewart Lee to do the reading, while Tania Chen and Steve Beresford accompany on the piano. That’s all we’re saying – we’re sure there will be a few surprises along the way…
They Say:
This is a performance which disorientates and transfixes and audience. Beresford addresses its strange effect: ‘There’s no word for it, which is why it’s worth doing.’
Scratch Performances
These Trees Are Made Of Blood | 30 August – 01 September | 7pm | Pay What You Can
Amy Draper, Produced by Lucy Jackson, Written by Paul Jenkins
Standby For Tape Back-Up | 30 August & 01 September | 8.45pm | Pay What You Can
Ross Sutherland
Hack and Scratch | 31st August | 7pm | Free
An all-night session to launch BAC’s new Scratch Online initiative
Yeti | 13 – 15 September | 7pm | Pay What You Can
Peter McMaster
Holocene | 14-22 September | 8.30pm | Pay What You Can
David Sheppeard
Matryoshka | 20-22 September | 9.15pm | Free
Ammar Haj Ahmad
When The Lions Drink… | 21 & 22 Sept | 7pm | Pay What You Can
Bad Host
I am Joint Editor at To Do List. I like: nice pubs, film marathons, not doing real marathons, bad comedy, plays/musicals with shorter second halves, and the Oxford comma.
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